The present invention relates to a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material and its processing method. Particularly, the silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material wherein a cyan dye loss in a low replenishing rapid processing is improved and its processing method.
In addition, it relates to a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material wherein light fastness and heat resistance of a dye which forms an image is improved and stain in a non-colored portion is reduced without damaging coloring and the stability of the dispersion solution coated on aforesaid photographic light-sensitive material.
Ordinarily, in order to obtain a color image by processing a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter, referred to as "color light-sensitive material") which has been imagewise exposure, metallic silver which is generated after the color developing process is desilvered. Successively, processing steps such as washing and stabilizing are provided. The desilvering step is composed of the bleaching and the fixing step or the bleach-fixing step integrally provided.
Recently, for the purpose of resource saving and cost reduction, increasing of the speed of the bleach-fixing processing is demanded. In addition, from the viewpoint of reducing environmental contamination, reduction of processing effluent, i.e., reduction of the amount of the bleach fixing replenishing amount is strongly demanded. However, it has been discovered that, if reduction of the amount of effluent is reduction of the amount of replenishing, the following problems occur.
Namely, due to extension of staying time of the bleach-fixing solution, density of silver ion accumulating in a solution due to desilvering reaction in increased and mixing ratio of a color developing solution is increased. Accordingly, deterioration of the bleach-fixing solution due to the change of Fe.sup.III to Fe.sup.II in an aminopolycarbonic acid complex type bleacher represented by ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid ferric complex, propylenediamine tetraacetic acid ferric complex and diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid ferric complex. In addition, it has been found that, as a means for reducing replenishment, the density of aforesaid bleacher is increased, Fe.sup.II becomes easy to occur.
The above-mentioned deterioration of bleach-fixing solution retards desilvering and causes poor desilvering. In addition, Fe.sup.II which has been increased reduces a cyan dye to a colorless leuco dye. Accordingly, an important problem occurs that cyan does not sufficiently colored (so-called, cyan dye loss occurs).
For countering the deterioration of aforesaid bleach-fixing solution, various approaches has been made from the viewpoint of processing solution. For example, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication) Nos. 1-244453 and 1-244454 disclose technologies to prevent the generation of Fe.sup.II complex and Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 1-161067 discloses improvement of poor desilvering or a technology to inhibit the generation of a leuco cyan dye.
However, the above-mentioned technologies were insufficient in terms of improving poor desilvering and dye loss, if there is a fluctuation of processing amount in a system in which increasing of processing and reduction of replenishing could be realized. Accordingly, the problem of dye loss under low replenishment processing in which processing effluent substantially does not occur from the viewpoint of environment protection and specially under low pH has come to be more and more serious.
On the other hand, together with proliferation of a small-sized processing equipment, called "mini-lab", increasing of the speed of processing has come to be strongly demanded. Therefore, demand for reduction of bleaching or bleach-fixing step has been increased. However, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid ferric salt which has been used as a bleacher heretofore provides weak oxidation force so that sufficient requirements could not be satisfied. Therefore, a bleacher containing 1,3-diaminopropane tetraacetic ferric salt which has no problem in terms of environment conservation, toxicity and handling has been developed and put into practical use.
However, aforesaid bleacher provides too strong oxidation force. Therefore, a color developing agent carried over to a bleaching bath or a bleach-fixing bath is also oxidized. As a result, in an unexposed portion too, a coloring dye is generated so that stain occurs. This phenomenon is called as a bleaching fogging. As means for reducing aforesaid bleaching fogging, a technology to use a specific magenta coupler and an aniline type basic compound in combination disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 58-105147, a technology to use a specific magenta coupler and a 2,2,6,6-tetraalkylpyperidine type compound (so-called HALS compound) in combination disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 58-102231 and a technology to add an ordinary basic compound in a red sensitive silver halide light-sensitive layer disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 3-1137 are known.
In the above-mentioned technologies, effects to reduce bleaching fogging are observed to some extent. However, due to the basic compound, dispersion damage occurs when a dispersion solution containing a coupler and silver halide is prepared. Accordingly, a stable dispersion solution could not be obtained. In addition, stability of aforesaid dispersed product after specific time is extremely deteriorated. Further, coloring properties (the maximum coloring density, sensitivity and gradation) are noticeably deteriorated.
On the other hand, in addition to a technologies to improve the above-mentioned bleach fogging, technologies to incorporate basic compounds in light-sensitive materials are known. For example, technologies to improve light-fastness of a magenta color image by using a cyclic amines together with a pyrazolotriazole based magenta coupler disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 61-72246 and 61-189539 and technologies to improve light fastness of a cyan color image by the use of a chained secondary and tertiary amines having a steric hindrance group disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No.1-223450. In such cases, it is sure that fastness of a dye is improved to some extent. However, it has been understood that several inconvenience deriving from basic compounds in the same manner as in the above-mentioned cases has occurred.
Namely, to incorporate a basic compound in a light-sensitive material provides effects in terms of reducing bleach fogging and color image stiffness. However, on the contrary, critical problems that coloring property of the light-sensitive material is noticeably reduced and stability of the dispersion product is noticeably deteriorated occur. Therefore, it was extremely difficult to add the basic compound in a light-sensitive material.